Ventura Music Scene 7/9/25 – 7/22/25

Posted on July 6, 2025 by venturarocks

Ventura Music Scene
by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com
Pam@VenturaRocks.com
Over the next couple of weeks there will be plenty of live music events, some free, some family friendly, but all promise to be tons of fun. Let’s start with the Hueneme Beach Festival which falls over the weekend of July 12 and 13 at Hueneme Beach Park. No admission, but tickets can be purchased for the carnival rides and of course there will be plenty of food vendors and local artists’ displays along with live music. On Saturday there will be several local high school marching bands, InStone, Red Hot Cholo Peppers and Corazon de Mana. On Sunday, they’ll have a couple of tribute bands, Smooth Sounds of Santana and Kings of Queen, along with Banda La Veneosa and Halcones del Bajio.

The following week, starting midweek and running through Sunday, July 20, it’s Heritage Days in Old Towne Camarillo. Same deal: free admission, but you can purchase carnival ride tickets. The first few days offer up DJs, but on Friday you can catch John Surge and the Haymakers, and Just Dave Band. On Saturday it’s Hindsite, SkaDaddyz, D.on Darox & the Melody Joy Bakers, Heavy Rotation and the Brandon Ragan Project. Then finally on Sunday, you can catch Full Clip, Alejandro Medina, Mariachi Los Toreros, and Maclovia.

D.on Darox and the Melody Joy Bakers on Fat Tuesday 2025

Over at the Ventura County Fairgrounds, Surfers Point Live, the Tequila & Taco Music Festival will be held over the weekend of July 19 and 20 with Lil’ Kim, the Queen Bee, headlining on Saturday. Also performing, Adelaide Pilar and La Marcha. On Sunday, it’s Vilma Diaz Y La Sonora and Smooth Sounds of Santana. Tickets available at TequilaAndTacoMusicFesival.com.

Music Under the Stars at Olivas Adobe kicks off this Summer’s series of Friday night concerts with 4 Lads from Liverpool on July 12, and Dark Desert Highway on July 19. Both nights are sold out. By the way, all shows are sold out except August 23 with Conjunto Oye, who promise to deliver high-energy danceable Latin music with Cuban rhythms and Puerto Rican flair.

Quick Notes: Ventura Music Festival’s Big Bad Voodoo Daddy concert with Barrelhouse Wailers on Friday, July 25 is sold out plus the venue has changed to the Ventura College Performing Arts Center; The Boatyard Pub at the Ventura Harbor has wrapped up their remodeling upgrades and live music is back; Lowered Expectations will play the Downtown Ventura Summer Concert Series on Thursday, July 10 (6-8 pm) at California and Main; this year’s Bowlvolution Tiki Summer Bowl Out at Harley’s Camarillo Bowling will be held on Saturday, July 12, with Stagger & Fall, The Afraid, Toledo Panic and The Disappointments playing in the bar;
and Plan B Winery has Déjà vu (acoustic) playing the music of Crosby,Stills, Nash & Young on Sunday, July 20.

Do you have any music-related news or upcoming shows you want help publicizing? Please send all information short or long to Pam@VenturaRocks.com, and for updated music listings daily, go to www.VenturaRocks.com.

Ventura Music Scene 4/30/25 – 5/13/25

Posted on April 27, 2025 by venturarocks

Ventura Music Scene
by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com
Pam@VenturaRocks.com

The Ventura Music Festival’s free concert this year on Saturday, May 3, is coming up fast with such bands as Ticket to Ride (Beatles covers), the Blue Mountain Tribe, Barrelhouse Wailers, Rey Fresco and more. The family-friendly event starts at Mission Park next to the museum at noon, then after the last performance, the second stage takes over at Main and Chestnut aligning with Limon y Sal’s Cinco de May celebration at around 5 pm with not only Rey Fresco, but several salsa and mariachi bands. Along with the music, vendors will be set up as well as a vintage car show.

Another Ventura Music Festival event (this one ticketed) comes the following Friday, May 9th, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel with Donny Most and his Band (Most played Ralph Malph, Richie’s redheaded friend on Happy Days). The band will perform standards from legends such as Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin and Dean Martin. Go to VenturaMusicFestival.org to see if tickets are still available.

May the 4th (be with you) will see the community gather to support The Local Love Project and their 3rd Annual Blues, BBQ & Portside Views benefit. This year features music from Kelly’s Lot and the Erik Lemaire Band and it is being held at Portside Ventura Harbor on Sunday, May 4th from 1-5 pm. Tickets are $20 and available via TotalLocalVC.com.

Namba Arts is helping to celebrate Mother’s Day with a concert featuring American Songbook Today performing, “Songs for Mothers and Those They Love.” This joyful tribute to moms everywhere will include songs from David Crosby, Stephen Sondheim, Janis Ian, Simon and Garfunkel and more. Find out more at NambaArts.com.

Ozomatli is celebrating 30 years with a show at the Ventura Music Hall on Friday, June 27. General admission tickets are on sale now. I also saw the venue added a show with Duane Betts & Palmetto Motel for Friday, July 18. This one will be a fully-seated concert featuring the son of the legendary Dickey Betts (Allman Brothers) who recently passed away in 2024.

Mackenzie Carpenter and Jackson Dean have been added along with headliner, Kane Brown, for this summer’s Boots & Brews Country Music Festival on Sunday, June 29, presented by Surfers Point Live at the fairgrounds.

Don’t forget tickets for Music Under the Stars go on sale Tuesday, May 6. You won’t want to wait too long as most concerts do sell out.

Quick Notes: Looking West plays Rincon Brewery on Friday May 2; Sick Boy plays Poseidon Brewing on Friday, May 3; Dirty Cello return to Ventura County for a show at the Ojai Underground on Saturday, May 3; Bloody Mary Morning bring new music to their show at Bombay’s on Friday, May 9; and Robyn Hitchcock plays the Deer Lodge on Tuesday, May 13 (tickets available through EventBrite).

Ventura Music Scene 4/16/25 – 4/29/25

Posted on April 13, 2025 by venturarocks

Ventura Music Scene
by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com
Pam@VenturaRocks.com

Stecklestock marks the beginning of what I think of as the outdoor live music special events season which runs through the middle of Fall. This all-day family-friendly free concert runs 8 am – 6 pm on Saturday, April 26 and features local bands in a setting under the trees at Steckle Park in Santa Paula. Keep in mind the bands do it for the love of our music community so to help defray costs, donations are encouraged and happily accepted. This year’s line up includes Chicano 7, Premonition, The Tommy Foytek Band, No Biggee, Only Obvious, Lowered Expectations, Buena Onda, and The Charles Law Band.

There will be a Grateful Dead inspired concert on Sunday, April 20 (if you know you know), with groovy jams and Dead covers from such bands as Cubensis, Shaky Feelin’, Ellie Rollins Band and Chris Murphy. This Eventbrite ticketed event runs 3-7 at Las Palmas on Meyers Road in Ojai and is sponsored by the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy.

The Music Under the Stars summer series lineup was announced, but tickets won’t go on sale until Tuesday, May 6. The Saturday night consecutive concerts feature mostly tribute bands, or genre specific such as Conjunto Oye on August 23, “bringing the heat” with pulsating salsa, and Cuban rhythms with Puerto Rican flair. You’ll want to check out the City’s website for the full line up. All shows typically sell out, so you won’t want to wait until it’s too late.

If fiery Scottish music gets your toes tapping, then you’ll want to check out Scottish Fish at Namba Arts on Friday, April 18. Scottish Fish features five dynamic young women steeped in Boston’s vibrant Celtic scene who travel the world performing.

And congratulations to Bombay Bar and Grill as they continue to celebrate their 40th anniversary this month. By the way, you might want to swing by Thursday, April 24 when Kat Merrick from Totally Local VC and the Local Love Project will be the guest bartender with music in the house from Steve and Sally Williams and Frank Barajas.

Quick Notes: Boatyard Pub is still undergoing renovations for much of April; If you care to travel out Fillmore way, then you won’t want to miss the smooth Latin sounds of Tierra, Malo and Los Amigos at the Fillmore Town Theater on Saturday, April 19; Tony’s Pizzeria hosts Dead inspired bands on Saturday, April 19 with Shaky Feelin’, Katie Skene Band, Ashton Slater’s Grateful Get-Down and Chris Murphy with the show starting at 4:20 pm; Latin Grammy-winning artist, Twanguero, plays the Ojai Underground on Friday, April 25; and Parliament Funkadelic featuring the one and only George Clinton plays the Ventura Music Hall on Monday, April 28.

Ventura Music Scene 3/6/24 – 3/19/24

Posted on March 6, 2024 by venturarocks

Ventura Music Scene
by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com
Pam@VenturaRocks.com

March 17th is coming up and several venues will offer live music to entice patrons through their doors to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and the Irish culture. Of course, the City of Ventura will have their annual St. Patrick’s Day parade; but, on the day before, Saturday, March 16. So, if you plan to head out for some rollicking fun on Sunday then may I suggest you celebrate the patron saint of Ireland along with a very special milestone? That would be the 15th anniversary of VenturaRocks.com. That’s right! I launched the website on March 17, 2009, and have never charged the venues or the bands to be listed on the calendar of events, and it’s always been free to the end users, so many of which swear it’s their bible when it comes to live music in our town. Many thanks to Bruce Barrios for offering to host the party at Tony’s Pizzeria from 3-7 pm with live music from the Brandon Ragan Project as well as special appearance by the Ventura City Firefighters Pipes and Drums. I hope you can swing by!

Billed as Jazz in the House, the Ventura Theater will host a Sunday afternoon concert, free to the public, featuring the award-winning jazz bands from Cabrillo Middle School and Ventura High School. It’s truly inspiring that these schools continue to offer music programs when so many other schools cannot. Both programs are supported by the memberships of their Booster organizations (both 501(c)3 non-profits). This is a perfect way to support budding musicians by attending and showing them some love.

The City of Ventura has announced this year’s Music Under the Stars lineup for the summer of 2024; however, tickets do not go on sale until May 9, so you have plenty of time to map out which shows you plan to attend. Here now, the lineup: an 80s dance party with Identity Theft on July 13; the Smooth Sounds of Santana play on July 20; a Steely Dan revue with Pretzel Logic on July 27, it’s a fun combo of Stones vs Rod Stewart with Start Me Up on August 3; a unique spin on blues, Rock & Americana with Dirty Cello on August 10; R&B, pop, jazz top-40 with Phazze One on August 17; an Eagles tribute with Dark Desert Highway on August 24 and a high-energy Latin dance band, Susie Hansen Latin Band to wrap up the series on August 31.

Quick Notes: tickets are on sale now for Todd Rugren’s June 23rd concert at Libbey Bowl in Ojai; Jodi Farrel will hold a Master Class at Namba on Saturday, March 9; Spencer the Gardener plays the Ojai Underground on Saturday, March 9; it’s the debut of Mick Stovers Blues Band at Margarita Villa on Saturday, March 9; and Save Ferris plays the Ventura Music Hall on Saturday, March 16.

Ventura Rocks in the Ventura Breeze 4/20/22 – 5/3/22

Posted on April 20, 2022 by venturarocks

Ventura Music Scene
by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com
Pam@VenturaRocks.com

The historic Olivas Adobe will once again host Music Under the Stars on Friday nights from July 9 – August 27. There are a number of tribute bands such as Savor, tribute to Santana on July 16, Dark Desert Highway, tribute to the Eagles on August 13 and 4 Lads from Liverpool, tribute to the Beatles on August 20. Tickets are only $20, and an extra $25 to reserve a table. Tickets go on sale May 2 at www.cityofventura.ca.gov/MUS.

Ojai Music Festival’s 2022 season has been announced and will run June 9 to June 12. For scheduled performances and ticket information, go to OjaiFestival.org.
Ventura Music Hall will be launching their Friday night Golden Hour series featuring mostly local tribute bands from May 13 through June 24. Lined up are Twisted Gypsy, Sgt. Pepper, Black Crystal Wolf Kids, Ridin’ the Storm Out and Doin’ Time.

There will be a Ukrainian Relief benefit brunch featuring live music by The Cover Girls & Friends, Breaking Bored, and Misunderstood at the Ventura Harbor Comedy Club on Sunday, May 1. All proceeds going to the Ukrainian relief charity of your choice. For more information and to reserve your spot, call Rosa Carbajal at (805) 827-2306.

Salzer’s Records will host a Meet and Greet with Think: X on Saturday, April 23 featuring bandmates Norwood Fisher (Fishbone), Stephen Perkins (Jane’s Addiction), Scott Page (Pink Floyd), and Kenny Olson (Kid Rock) who will be stopping by on Record Store Day to promote Think: X, An Exploration of the Music of Pink Floyd. Think: X performs at Oceanview Production Studios in Port Hueneme later that evening.

Rock-n the Streets is free and happening on Saturday, April 23 at Casa Agria Specialty Ales located at 701 N. Del Norte Blvd in Oxnard with performances by Omega Nova, Stellar Ruins, NoSilence, Sunjelly, Crawdads and the Panes.

Just a few shows lining up at Libbey Bowl include the Musical Box performs Genesis on May 22, Stephen Pearcy of Ratt on July 8, Former members of Oingo Boing on July 16, ABC on July 17, the Zombies on July 22, Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers on August 5, Mark Farner’s American Band acoustic show on August 6 and Michael Feinstein on August 27.

Quick Notes: The Twist on Main hosts Muse on Main: a benefit concert for Musicians on a Mission on Saturday, April 23 with Dr. T and the Blues Criminals; Tom Scott (the Blues Brothers, LA Express) plays the Grape on Friday, April 29; Kyle Smith is back in town with full band at the Six Chow House on Friday, April 29; Agent Orange plays Gigi’s on Friday, April 29; and new music out: Rain Perry’s a White Album, Shaky Feelin’ Brand New Day and Night Demon’s Year of the Demon (2020 singles compilation).

Ventura Rocks in the Ventura Breeze 8/26/19 – 9/9/10/19

Posted on August 26, 2019 by venturarocks

Ventura Music Scene
by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com
Pam@VenturaRocks.com

We’re wrapping up the summer season with a number of events including Bombay’s Annual Beach Party with stages indoors and out, a beer garden, mechanical bull and more. DJs will keep you dancing all night long with bands performing earlier in the evening, Dudeo Perez, Strange Case and The Swells on Saturday starting at 6:30 and Uproots on Sunday at 3 pm followed by Black Star at 6 pm.

Another event over the Labor Day weekend will be the Ventura Nationals at the fairgrounds, along with the hot rides will be plenty of live music from Jesse Dayton, Tom Kenny & the Hi-Seas, Eddie & the Scorpions, The Moontones and The Rockin’ Henrys.

Topa Mountain Winery in Ojai is hosting a Make-a-Wish fundraiser dubbing it “Rock the Wish” featuring Dennis Quaid and the Sharks; opening, will be three amazing local ladies, Cindy Kalmenson, Patricia Avis and Natalie Gelman. Music starts at 5:30 pm followed by a screening of Quaid’s movie The Rookie at 8 pm. According to a press release, Quaid said the shows are as much fun for those in attendance as they are for the band. “(The audiences) have a blast, which is all we want. I make a complete and utter fool of myself,” Quaid said. He added, “I think that’s the only way to have fun (onstage), instead of trying to pretend to be cool and all the rest of that stuff.” Okay, I’m in!

Stephen “Ragga” Marley makes a stop during his fifty-city tour across the U.S. at Discovery on Friday, September 6. Son to Bob Marley, Stephen has earned his own legacy garnering eight Grammy awards over the years. The tour name honors his father’s iconic live album with the Wailers, calling it “Babylon by Bus” tour.

The Music Under the Stars series wraps up the season on Saturday, August 31 with The Swing Kings at Olivas Adobe; unfortunately, this show is also sold out. With so many shows selling out so fast, perhaps the City will entertain adding another show on Friday nights.

Quick Notes: Don’t miss punk rock fun with The Adolescents and Love Canal at The Garage on Friday, August 30; Rey Fresco with The Collective will be at El Rey Cantina on Friday, August 30; The Lab on Azahar has Like the Morning and Edukated on Saturday, August 31; IDEAL Music Collective will land at the Golden China on Saturday, August 31; The Sunday Drivers play Dargan’s on Sunday, September 1; Flying Colors play the Ventura Theater on Thursday, September 5; First Friday music at Harvest Café features Shay Moulder on September 6; Second Sunday Supper at Plan B Wine Cellars will host The Beatunes on the 8 of September; and finally Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul at Ventura Theater Monday, September 9.

And finally, I am sad to report the passing of Neal Casal who lived locally yet work with such bands as Ryan Adams and the Chris Robinson Brotherhood. I was lucky to catch him jamming with Crazy Rust at Bombay’s in the backroom several years ago. R.I.P. Neal.

Do you have any music-related news or upcoming shows you want help publicizing? Please send all information short or long to Pam@VenturaRocks.com. For updated music listings daily, go to www.VenturaRocks.com.

Ventura Rocks in the Ventura Breeze 8/14 – 8/27

Posted on August 13, 2019 by venturarocks

Ventura Music Scene
by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com
Pam@VenturaRocks.com

The Ventura County Fair really delivered this year with their Grandstand Stage lineup; there was something for most everyone. I caught and shot several shows including Melissa Etheridge, X Ambassadors, George Thorogood and of course Collective Soul. If you’re so inclined, go to VenturaRocks.com for the August 2019 photo gallery to check out some pretty cool photos of those bands.

Spencer Makenzie’s annual End of Summer Block Party will feature a free concert on the evening of Saturday, August 24, with Johnny and the Love Handles, A.D.D. and wrapping up the evening in their finest 80’s fashion will be Mandex!

Coming up before you know it, the Ventura Nationals will return to the fairgrounds over Labor Day Weekend. Along with all the hot rods, “kustoms” and motorcycles, will be plenty of live music from Jesse Dayton, Tom Kenny & the Hi-Seas, Eddie & the Scorpions, The Moontones, and Ventura’s own, The Rockin’ Henrys.

The Music Under the Stars series continues on Saturday nights at Olivas Adobe with Blue Breeze Band on August 17 and Savor on the 24; unfortunately, all remaining shows are sold out.

Quick Notes: The Speakeasy Project’s American Roadhouse will be held the next two weekends at Ventura Vineyard in the Suite J Theater; Goodnight Kiss is back with new music and a gig at Bombay’s on Saturday, August 17 (6-9 pm); Benjamin Buttner is the Munch artist this month for the Museum of Ventura County’s free lunch time music on Thursday, August 15, (11:30 – 1:30 pm); Toni Dodd joins Tommy Marsh for the Session at Grapes and Hops on Thursday, August 15; Food Truck Friday this month falls on Thursday, August 16 with Alter Ego playing Classic Rock at the Pacific View Mall (outside Trader Joe’s); you’ll find the Pretty Uglys along with Johnny Thunders and an open jam with Deep Cuts at Red Cove on Saturday, August 17; The Rubicon’s annual fundraiser, Kids for Kids benefit, features Broadway’s hottest tunes on Sunday, August 18; Fausto Cuevas & su Cinquillo host Havana Nights at Limon y Sal on Tuesday evenings starting at 6:30 pm; there will be live music at the Garage on the afternoon of Sunday, August 25, starting at 2 pm featuring Dangerously Sleazy, The Hymen Blasters and Fred Burger; another fundraiser, Jamming for Hose, is at Bombay’s with several bands playing from 2 -9 pm on Saturday, August 24 this one has The Doc Ventura Band, Marley Rae, Shades of Blue, The Sea Hunters, The References and The Lavender Experience – they’re asking for a $10 donation at the door; Nathan McEuen plays Topa Mountain Winery on the afternoon of Sunday, August 25; and Justin Hayward, songwriter, lead singer and guitarist of the Moody Blues plays the Majestic Ventura Theater on Saturday, August 24.

Ventura Rocks in the Ventura Breeze 7/17 – 7/30

Posted on July 17, 2019 by venturarocks

Ventura Music Scene
by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com
Pam@VenturaRocks.com

The Ventura Music Festival’s annual free concert will be held once again at Mission Park with Incendio (high octane Latin guitar) on Thursday, July 18, show starts at 5:30 pm. The festival’s final performances will be held at the Ventura College Performing Arts Center with Joey Alexander Trio on July 19; Ranky Tanky on July 20 and Rastrelli Cello quartet on July 21.

The Ventura Fair opens August 2; this is just a reminder, if you want to take in more than 4 concerts (which are included in the price of admission), you should consider getting a WOW pass before the fair opens which gets you entry everyday saving you beaucoup bucks. See full lineup and ticket information at VenturaCountyFair.org.

Just a head’s up, Spencer Makenzie’s Annual End of Summer Block Party falls over the weekend of August 23 – 25. Don’t miss their free concert which will fall on Saturday with Johnny and the Love Handles, Dave Rae and Mandex.

I am loving all the local punk bands supporting T.S.O.L. at the Ventura Theater on Friday, July 26; just a few of the bands include Stalag 13, Ill Repute, The Grim, and The Robot Uprising.

Tequila and Taco Music Festival returns to town over the weekend of July 20 and 21 at Plaza Park with Bruno and the Hooligans, a tribute to Bruno Mars, along with Instone, Sambada, Adelaide and Upstream. Find out more at TequilaAndTacoMusicFestival.com.

Music Under the Stars series continues on Saturday nights at Olivas Adobe with Sound Effect (sold out) on July 20 and Rodeo Drive on July 27. Know this, all final shows for the rest of the summer are sold out.

Quick Notes: Munch at the Museum this month features Sandi Ellen Anderson on Thursday, July 18 (11:30 am – 1:30 pm); Pyrate Punx has a show at Hong Kong Inn with False Confession, 3 Day Holocaust, Civil Conflict and Trash on Thursday, July 18; Alpine Camp Band plays Leashless Brewing’s Vtown Get Down Festival on Saturday, July 20; Bad Religion sold out for their show at Ventura Theater on Friday, July 19; Ventura’s Psychedelic Summer debuts at Oak and Main on Friday, July 19 (dress up!); Jen Staves returns to Ventura with her Bluzfish Trio on Sunday, July 21 at Plan B Wine Cellers; Actor Jeff Bridges performs his music at Discovery on Wednesday, July 24; The Garage welcomes Tanglers out of Vancouver on Friday, July 26; And the Caverns return to town with a show at Saloon on Friday, July 26.

Many thanks to JD Drury and his crew for pulling off another amazing Surf Rodeo. Of course, I miss them at Pierpont Beach where I could park at home and walk over, but I’m loving the vibe at the Pier.

Ventura Rocks in the Ventura Breeze 5/22 – 6/4

Posted on May 20, 2019 by venturarocks

Ventura Music Scene
by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com
Pam@VenturaRocks.com

Surf Rodeo has finally announced their headliners for each day! First, it’s The Expendables (reggae) for Saturday, July 13, and then it’s Hepcat (ska and reggae) for Sunday, July 14. Don’t forget that the two-day surf and music festival lands in a new spot this year at the Ventura Pier. JD Drury has always been a strong supporter of local music, case in point, you can catch loads of local bands including Hy Brasil, Stoneflys, Honey Owl and Kings Revenge along with JD’s Raging Arb and the Redheads. There will be 30+ bands along with surf and cornhole competitions, and cowgirl & cowboy bikini contest…hey wait! A cowboy bikini contest? How did I miss this before??? Get tickets and more information at SurfRodeo.org.

The 4th Annual Ojai Blues Fest at Ojai Art Center will be held on Saturday, June 1, with another amazing lineup of blues artists. The doors open at 1 pm with music from Kelly’s Lot, Orphan Jon and the Abandoned, Crooked Eye Tommy, Rae Gordon, Laurie Morvan Band, then a grand finale set featuring an all-star jam. Acoustic sets will be played in between to keep the day moving; tickets available online at OjaiBluesFest.com

Tickets for the Music Under the Stars concert series this summer are available only through Ventura City Hall. Several shows have already sold out, but you can still get tickets for Sound Effect on July 20, Rodeo Drive on July 27, Four Lads from Liverpool on August 3 and Identity Theft on August 10. I’m happy to see people are scooping up tickets, but it’s a little baffling why the City doesn’t set up an online page to purchase tickets; you still have to call to get yours during their regular business hours.

Quick Notes: the May 23 Good Charlotte show has been cancelled at the Ventura Theater; Jon over at Leashless will be hosting the Listening Room Open Mic weekly on Tuesday nights until further notice; Big Adventure has landed a Wednesday night residency at Oak and Main; you can find out what psychedelic jazz funk sounds like when Los Retros and Evolution Burger play Concrete Jungle on Friday, May 24; Ventura College Performing Arts Center hosts El Bracero, a Mariachi opera on Friday May 24; River Ripley, RyMi and the Martians along with Tattered Angels play Namba downtown on Saturday May 25; and Topa Mountain Winery will have live music with Bryan Titus Trio on Memorial Day, Monday, May 24.

The Pam Baumgardner Music Hour returns to KPPQ-LP at 104.1 FM after a short hiatus following the passing of my father Gilbert Sanchez. Airdates are Tuesdays and Fridays at 5 pm and Sundays at noon. You can also listen with the MyTuner app for your phone or online at CapsMedia.org.

Ventura Rocks in the Ventura Breeze – 8/30 – 9/12

Posted on August 27, 2017 by venturarocks

Ventura Music Scene
by Pam Baumgardner
VenturaRocks.com
Pam@VenturaRocks.com

So exactly where did the summer go? Oh wait! There’s no need to panic, there’s still a lot of music and fun to be had. Let’s start with Bombay’s 33rd Annual Beach Party which runs Friday through Sunday of Labor Day weekend. Diego always pulls out all the stops with three stages of music including a mechanical bull, and outdoor bar and beer garden. Friday night rock out to the Vonettes, Deep Pockets, Operation 90’s and Mandex; Saturday features a return of Deep Pockets along with Brothers Fortune, Uproots, and Rey Fresco; then Sunday will have Channel, Goodnight Kiss and The Jelly. DJ Erok and DJ Cam will be in the house to help keep the party, plus I wouldn’t be surprised if Diego slipped in another band or two to boot.

The Ventura Nationals return to Ventura over the Labor Day weekend as well on Saturday, September 2, so if you’re wondering where all the cool hot rods and bikes came from, they came from all over to participate and to be seen. The event is held annually at the Ventura fairgrounds and this year’s music features Deadbolt, The Hubcap Stealers and Poor Man’s Change. There’s also an after party at Discovery that evening with music from Three Bad Jacks and Moonlight Trio.

Another party to help wrap up the summer is Discovery’s Backyard Bash on Sunday, September 3, featuring Reggae all day long from bands such as Herbal Rootz, Legalizer, Rital Movement, Dirty Rice, Tribal Theory, Hirie, Common Kings and more.

Music Under the Stars wraps up its summer concert series with their two final shows, Saturday, September 2 it’s Fantastic Diamond, a Neil Diamond tribute show, then the grand finale features Lisa Haley & the Zedekates on Saturday, September 9. For ticket information on all remaining shows go to the City’s website (www.CityofVentura.ca.gov).

It’s early notice, but you won’t want to miss One’s to Watch Productions’ Topa Topa Folk Fest because this year the amazing Lucinda Williams headlines on Saturday, October 7. The event runs two days (Friday and Saturday) and also features great artists like Shooter Jennings, Lissie, Doug Pettibone, Bryan Titus, Tim Curran and many more. Get the lowdown on tickets at TopaTopaFolkFest.com.

Quick Notes: The final free concert at the Collection is Thursday, August 31 with Queen Nation, music starts at 7 pm; Hi Hat Entertainment brings back Teresa James to the Hong Kong Inn on Friday, September 1, and Joe Louis Walker on Friday, September 8; Check out Balkan Jazz at Squashed Grapes with Plotz! On Saturday, September 9; Goodnight Kiss just released a new EP called Abandon Ship; Bowlful of Blues returns to Libby Bowl September 16 you can get ticket information at BowfulOfBlues.org; and the Ventura Theater recently added Jimmy Eat World for Thursday, September 21.

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Tag Archives: Music Under the Stars